Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar's award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences. Use THE ART OF CHOOSING as your companion and guide for the many challenges ahead.

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Prominent social psychologist Iyengar begins her unique and invigorating study of choice by telling the story of a man who survived for 76 days stranded alone in the middle of the ocean. He chose to live, Iyengar tells us, just as she has chosen not to let her blindness keep her from conducting prodigious research and intrepid experiments. Iyengar exponentially expands our understanding of the central role choice plays in the lives of animals and humans in a rapid-fire, many-faceted, and original inquiry that is at once personable and commanding. She explains our “biological need for choice and control,” the decision process, and the myriad influences that dictate everything from purchasing choices to career moves, voting, medical decisions, and marriage. The daughter of Sikh immigrants from India, Iyengar is particularly astute in her globally significant analysis of the striking differences between how Americans and Asians make decisions. Much of this eye-opening anatomy of choice focuses on consumerism, a lively, revealing arena, but Iyengar’s high-voltage curiosity and penetrating insights are far more valuable when applied to deeper matters of existence. --Donna Seaman

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The Art of Choosing is an interesting, entertaining and useful book. It focuses heavily on the psychology of making choices and psychological effects of being faced with and making choices. This focus is understandable because the author is a psychologist. However, she also examines the biological, sociological, economic and political aspects of choosing. The book is practical rather than philosophical in its approach and purpose. However, profound philosophical and theological premises underlie the work. Author Iyvengar says on more than one occasion that the course of one's life is determined by chance, destiny and choices. Unfortunately, she never examines the first two elements. Her inclusion of destiny may or may not have something to do with her Indian background. Some western readers might argue whether there is any such thing as destiny (karma?). More importantly assuming we have any real ability to make choices assumes free will, one of the most fundamental of theological and philosophical issues. The nature of chance is also unexamined. Some of us would argue, on scientific grounds, that randomness is built in the very nature and foundations of the universe, of reality, and that the interaction of chance and the limitations it places on choice and what the tension between these elements means for a coherent world view are questions worth exploring in any discussion of choice and choosing.

This was a great read! In The Art of Choosing, Professor Sheena Iyengar provides a comprehensive overview of the many aspects of choice, ranging from the role of choice in culture to elucidating the factors that affect our decisions. Iyengar identifies the systems behind decision making and proposes methods to reduce stress while making choices. Psychology of choice permeates nearly all aspects of daily life as our choices shape and define our identities.

I recently had the honor of speaking at Columbia University on the same platform with Dr. Iyengar. Dr. Iyengar's presentation was riveting and I immediately purchased her book, "The Art of Choosing," following our presentations that day. This book is profound and teaches us all about critical behavioral research conducted by Dr. Iyengar on not only how we choose, but what we need to do to choose better. Having written on the subject of "Choice Intelligence" in my life coaching book, "Discover True North," Sheena Iyengar's topic was of utmost relevance to my work and my interests. However, I can see leaders within all organizations greatly benefitting from this masterpiece. Dr. Iyengar shares the powerful ways that the power of choice transforms lives, careers, relationships, and more. I highly recommend this book and checking out Sheena's TED TALK at TED.com. It's a brilliant piece!Anne BruceInternational Speaker and Bestselling Author

The thing I most liked about this book is that it showed the science behind some of our intuitions about managing choice, as well as giving new information about areas that were new to me. For example, the power of the expert opinion in our level of satisfaction with our final choice. It was jam-packed (no pun intended -- since she is the designer of the famous jam study) with case studies and personal anecdotes that made an otherwise weighty topic very readable and compelling. It will illuminate things about your own decision-making process you might not have understood and I venture to say, the book may change the way you approach some decisions in the future. It was very helpful with recent college selection decisions.

This intriguing look at the "art" of choice is so captivating that I had to read it in portions. Taking in a chapter or so at a time had me digesting for a bit between concepts. I was looking back constantly over my past, recalling choices and the results of these choices. I'll be on alert in my future choices, aware of the size, function, necessity and impact of them, both on my own life and that of others. I highly recommend this book. It's a good choice!

The best books rewrite me. This is one. With the Art of Choosing, Sheena Iyengar brilliantly nudges us to see how our culture values choice, with all the possibilities and paralysis that produces. Understanding - or at least thinking deeply about - how we choose, what unspoken fundamental assumptions shape our choices - and which choices warrant our time and efforts, and where more choice is actually unhelpful, is an eye-opener that continues to reshape how we direct our time. What a gem of a book!